Venezuela is in a state of protracted crisis. Ambassador Patrick Duddy updates his 2012 Contingency Planning Memorandum to reflect the current likelihood of significant political instability in Venezuela and the options available to the United States.

Carla Harris launches the 2015 Conference on Diversity in International Affairs with a keynote address following a welcome message by James M. Lindsay, Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, Council on Foreign Relations.

Africa’s most populous country is holding tight elections amid a fierce insurgency and plummeting oil revenues. There are concerns that the vote could trigger a new round of instability, writes CFR’s John Campbell.

President Obama's comments about Israel in the last week have deepened the crisis in US-Israel relations, and it appears that this was precisely what he intended. Republicans will criticize the president's moves, but the emerging situation is a test of the many Democrats who claim to be strong supporters of Israel. Elliott Abrams discussed this in National Review, and the text follows.

Israel's next governing coalition will lead a country that is prosperous and militarily strong but faces security, economic, and social challenges. Five experts weigh in on the country’s policy priorities.

CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

New Council Special Reports

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.

The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »